One of the most challenging projects for a model maker is to build a ship-in-a-bottle, which requires dexterity and many hours of patience. It’s finally complete when the masts, rigging and sails are pulled into position using tiny wires pulled through the bottle’s neck. The video below shows how time can be saved by doing the same thing using an Objet 3D printer.

However, this ship is in a solid bottle printed in Objet’s Clear Transparent material, and the ship is printed in Objet Rubber-like Black material. The model is printed on an Objet Connex multi-material 3D printer so the two materials are inseparable within the finished print.

The guys over at Stratasys have shown this on their blog and they point out that to print it in a “hollow” bottle would require the support material to be removed through a large opening in the bottle. They don’t say it’s impossible so we might see done in the correct way at some point.

The high-resolution Connex printer accurately produces tiny details such as the rigging

The Objet Connex printers can print in 30 micron layers so we can see that the fine details in the rigging ropes between the masts and deck, and the railings and crow’s nests. To see how it was made, check out the video below.